Bring Healing
More than ever, it seems as though everyone is trying to get their opinion out there on anything that’s important to them, especially when they disagree with someone else’s opinion. And there is so much to disagree about. Even among believers, so many seem bent on criticizing other believers’ beliefs or lives. It’s as though we’ve forgotten how much people mean to God, and that He has called us to always show respect to others, whether we agree with them or not.
We need to ask ourselves what our purpose is for living. Is it to get our “right” opinion out there…or to honor God and further the spread of the gospel? Honestly, the truth is that most people don’t really care what you think, or if you go to church, or whether you know and say all the right things. What gets their attention is what you do. It’s how you show your faith. The Scripture says it this way: “For in Christ Jesus…the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6). What pleases and honors God is when we express our faith in Him through loving acts to other people.
So how do we love people who strongly disagree with us? We have to look beyond their opinions and beyond our feelings and love them in faith as Jesus did. The Scripture says that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and…he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” (Acts 10:38). He was empowered to do good. And in doing good, He brought healing everywhere He went.
The good news is that you and I have been anointed to do good as well, whether we feel loving or not. We’ve been empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring healing to people and to promote the good news of Jesus Christ. Our anointing brings God on the scene! We can do far, far more through love than we can by spreading our opinions. God works through the expressions of our love and touches the lives of others.
In a world so full of differences, we need to step back and say, “I’m going to be loving toward people, especially people with whom I disagree.” Look for opportunities to be good to not only the people you disagree with but also to those who are in your own backyard, or a coworker, or a neighbor who could use your help. The Scripture says, “Do not withhold good from whom it is due, when it is in your power to act” (Proverbs 3:27). God wants you to give your love to all those around you because that’s where the healing comes in.
We need to ask ourselves what our purpose is for living. Is it to get our “right” opinion out there…or to honor God and further the spread of the gospel? Honestly, the truth is that most people don’t really care what you think, or if you go to church, or whether you know and say all the right things. What gets their attention is what you do. It’s how you show your faith. The Scripture says it this way: “For in Christ Jesus…the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6). What pleases and honors God is when we express our faith in Him through loving acts to other people.
So how do we love people who strongly disagree with us? We have to look beyond their opinions and beyond our feelings and love them in faith as Jesus did. The Scripture says that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and…he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” (Acts 10:38). He was empowered to do good. And in doing good, He brought healing everywhere He went.
The good news is that you and I have been anointed to do good as well, whether we feel loving or not. We’ve been empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring healing to people and to promote the good news of Jesus Christ. Our anointing brings God on the scene! We can do far, far more through love than we can by spreading our opinions. God works through the expressions of our love and touches the lives of others.
In a world so full of differences, we need to step back and say, “I’m going to be loving toward people, especially people with whom I disagree.” Look for opportunities to be good to not only the people you disagree with but also to those who are in your own backyard, or a coworker, or a neighbor who could use your help. The Scripture says, “Do not withhold good from whom it is due, when it is in your power to act” (Proverbs 3:27). God wants you to give your love to all those around you because that’s where the healing comes in.